Power Force in Birmingham is moving into athletic shoe and apparel line

Guy Savage, founder and CEO of Power Force, is rolling out the companyâs athletic shoes and apparel. (The Birmingham News/Tamika Moore)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Birmingham's Power Force is sprinting into the competitive sneaker and athletic apparel business with plans to keep pace with the industry leaders and an aggressive retailing strategy that includes a local retail store and a national partner.

The company that carved out a niche in the magnetic negative ion power bracelet market by brandishing the rubber arm bands with college team logos and other emblems now has a line of cross-trainer and running shoes. The company's website, powerforceapparel.com, went live this weekend, just in time for Cyber Monday.

Founder and Chief Executive Guy Savage is the driving force behind Power Force. He said getting into sneakers and apparel was always a goal for his company, but it took the money and branding of the bands to propel Power Force to this point.

"I wanted the Power Force name out there to help people start to recognize it, but I wanted that to lead to the apparel business to see what we could create," Savage said.

The shoes and apparel include the same negative ion technology as the arm bands -- which many pro athletes believe in but scientists remain dubious of. Savage makes no claims as to the science or health benefits of his products. For those who believe negative ion energy helps them, Power Force products will have it. For those who don't, the shoes and the clothes should be bought and used for what they are, Savage said.

"Our message is going to be: 'It's all about you. It's about your drive, your determination and how that translates into your life," Savage said.

That's why the shoes will not only come with the ion magnetic chips, but will also include a motivational quote that the wearer can carry with him.

"It's all about, when you put it on, it triggers something within yourself," he said.

Even the Power Force logo denotes the "inner force" that Savage speaks of. The logo combines the "P" and the "F" of "Power Force" while also displaying radiating energy waves.

"I was exercising and talking to a partner of mine," Savage said. "We were talking about inner drive and commitment and discipline -- even as it relates to the small things in life. That's how we came up with the name. Our tag line is 'power your inner force.' God gave us all these inner forces to work with and we've got to use them, not just waste them."

Savage knows a few things about tapping into that inner force.

"I've been up and down so many times, you can't count," he said. "I've been homeless before, living out of my car. I slept at rest stops, bathed at rest stops. I worked at any job I could to get gas money and any small amount of food to eat."

Savage finally put down roots in Birmingham and made a small fortune doing real estate deals. He then used that money to help finance Power Force, which began operating 18 months ago.

"I'm a firm believer that we're always going to have struggles in our lives every day, probably three big ones every year," he said. "It's how you handle it, how you get up and dust yourself off and get back at it. Rejection is normal in our lives. It's how you deal with that rejection and how you turn it into something that's a motivator for you."

For Savage, the motivation was realizing a vision for Power Force. Negative ion bracelets were already reaching the point of saturation when Power Force saw a niche by making the bracelets a way for sports fans to show allegiance to their teams.

"In the very beginning, what we saw was a need out there to show support as a fan," Savage said. "You can't really wear your jersey to church. You can't really wear your school's ball cap to work. We thought, 'Let's put this on a bracelet and you can wear it all the time and show your support for your team."

The braclets went on sale in October 2010 and in the last three months of that year generated nearly $800,000 in sales, Savage said. He said 2011 was just as impressive, though he didn't release yearly sales totals.

A big boost came when Hibbett Sports agreed to sell the bands at its stores, Savage said.

Now, the Power Bands bracelets carry the marks of 82 collegiate teams.

Who sells more on a consistent basis?

Power Force made its mark with ion power bracelets sporting college logos, including Auburn and Alabama.

Savage said believe it or not, it's Kansas University if you're talking consistent sales over time. However, the overall biggest seller is the University of Alabama when you consider the biggest peaks in sales. Auburn University and other Southeastern Conference teams also are among the biggest sellers, Savage said.

The bands are also sold on the company's other website, mypowerforce.com, and sales online are now outpacing store sales by more than two-to-one, Savage said.

"You're competing with so many other companies in the retail stores," he said. "There is so much coming at you and your product is mixed among others and if it's not displayed correctly, it's hard to stand out."

The lessons learned with the arm bands is helping Power Force as it rolls out its athletic shoes.

The shoes are available online only for now, selling for $60 to $80.

When it comes to marketing, don't look for a celebrity athlete to sell you on Power Force.

"Our target is literally everyday people who can feel the achievement inside themselves and that they're accomplishing things," Savage said. "We want that to translate to when they see the Power Force brand, it's something positive."

Every pair of shoes will come with a set of white shoelaces and a set of colored ones that match the color of the shoe.

In addition to its website, Power Force has more concrete plans for retailing with brick-and-mortar stores starting in Birmingham. The location of that store will be announced soon, Savage said, and he hopes to have it open as soon as January. The goal is to have five stores open in the first year.

In addition, Savage said he is in talks with three national sports retailers with the goal of naming one of them as the exclusive carrier of the Power Force product line in its stores. That alliance will help spread the brand nationally while maintaining some degree of exclusivity as Power Force opens its own stores and expands its website, Savage said.

"It's not the typical approach to all volume and saturating the market," he said. "I want people to seek us out."

The shoes are produced in China and Power Force's warehouse and distribution operations are off U.S. 280 near Greystone. Overseeing the quality of his product line from far away is the biggest challenge, Savage said.

"The hardest part, honestly, is that," he said. "Creating the shoes, getting them here on time and making sure the quality is perfect is hard when you're dealing with someone overseas."

Savage said he is projecting between $1 million and $2 million in sales in the first year.

Establishing such a foothold in the sneaker business and competing long-term may seem daunting, but it's the kind of challenge Savage relishes.

"Being told you can't do it, to me, is the biggest thing in the world," he said. "I love that feeling of people saying, 'It's not going to work.' 'Can you believe him?' 'I can't believe who he thinks he is.' To me, that is absolutely the biggest motivator."